TECH: Gambino Kustoms 4-link for the '49-54 Chevy,,,,

Gambino Kustoms triangulated 4-link​

A couple disclaimers: There are some concepts that are effected by bar lengths and angles (anti squat, instant center, etc.), but I choose to go with pre-made bars from Gambino Kustoms and set them up parallel to each other to minimize pinion angle chance throughout the range of motion. There’s a ton of great info out there on suspension design, so read as much as you can before you decide which suspension design is best suited for your car.

Also, this is just the way I did it with the tools I had in my garage. As the old saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, so feel free to add any tips and tricks that others may find useful.

At this point, I’ll assume you’ve either notched your frame or are planning on doing so as part of this project. This link has all the info you need to do your notch and there are pics of another one I did on my website. If your work isn’t as clean as Rustypipes’, smack yourself in the forehead and start over!

With that out of the way, there are some important things you need to determine. First off, make sure your frame is square. You’ll be taking measurements from the frame throughout this part of your build and you’ll want to make sure those measurements can be trusted. Also make sure it’s level. You’ll be using an angle-finder and level and it won’t do much good if the frame’s crooked.

Once that’s done, you’ll need to find your axle centerline and mark it on your frame. I used a plumb-bob for this and hung it from a piece of square tubing welded (and eventually clamped...haha) to two jackstands.





One trick I picked up from Rustypipes was to use a caliper with level on top to find the exact point on the axle housing to point my plumb-bob.





If the total measurement on the caliper is 3”, make sure it’s level and mark the axle at 1.5”. Simple, yes…effective, yes. Next, I used a square to line up the string along my frame (or notch if it’s already done), marked it in several places and then connected the dots. It’s also a good idea to mark the floor of your shop or garage with the axle-centerline and a couple reference points from the frame in case something moves.

Now it’s time to set your ride height. When I had my car on the ground, I knew what the front ride height was and knew I need to go down another 3” in the rear for my ideal stance. So, with the car on jackstands, I jacked up the rear 3” higher than it sat before. I then took two ratcheting tie-downs and supported the rear from my bridge-bars to keep it level and allow me to remove the jack. I set my pinion angle and tacked the rear to the pieces inside the notch (one of MANY tricks I credit to Alex Gambino). Note: do not remove the tie-downs holding the rear. There will be cases later when you’ll need to move ‘em to weld brackets to the axle. When doing this, put the jack under the housing ‘cause the tacks holding the rear will not keep it from rolling a little and changing your pinion angle. Ask me how I know....

 

Nice work man.. i hope to do that to my 54 someday. I have the gambino drops on the front and really dig their work, clean, strong and well done. I will file this tech piece away for the future

 

On to the 4-link. Make sure your frame is super clean and that any brackets, fuel lines, etc. are out of your way.

Note: Whenever possible, an extra set of hands is a HUGE help. If you don’t hit yourself in the face with a bar during mock-up at least once, you’re not doing it right.

I started off with my bottom bars….I wanted the tubing that I was attaching to the frame for the front bracket as short as possible while still allowing the bar to clear the frame rail. I used 2x3 1/8 wall tubing for this…3” long. The bracket supplied with the kit is just over 1”, so I welded it to the side of the tubing and attached the bar along with the bracket on the other end.






By placing the tubing against the frame, you can determine where the bar will sit and where the bracket will attach to the rear end. It’s a good idea to measure to make sure the bar is parallel with the frame too. I wanted to set the bracket up on the rear at 0 degrees vertical (using an angle finder off the back of the bracket), but I made sure that it wouldn’t put the front bracket in a bad spot (there’s a stock bracket on the left side of the frame for the exhaust that may interfere if you’re not careful).






I marked a four spots under the floorboard, drilled holes, and then cut out an access hole for welding from the top.


Once I knew where the rear bracket was going to sit, I tacked it in place. Then, by putting an angle finder on the bottom bar to assure it was level, I knew where to tack the tubing for the front mount.







Bar one, done. Repeat on the other side making sure that the angle of the bar in relation to the ground and frame is exactly the same as the other side. You should find this side is much easier than the first.

 

The top bars are little more challenging. First off, I took one of the bars and figured out how much of the floorboard and seat-brace I had to cut out. I did this by putting the bar as far out on the axle toward the housing and then placing the other side over the top of the frame inside the car.



If you look closely at this pic (obviously out of sequence here), you’ll see I cut more out of the first side than the second.



Luckily I’m conservative when I cut ‘cause I didn’t go overboard…I’d rather have to trim a little more than weld it back on or have a chopped up mess.

Once again, clean your frame. This is not a place where you want contaminated welds (like there’s really anyplace for that crap&#8230. You’ll also want to grind the brackets that attach the bar to the rear so that they match the radius of the axle housing. This is minimal, but needs to be done now so that you can accurately set the angle of the top bar.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t make the brackets the easiest way out there, but my way worked. I used 2x2 3/16 wall tubing for this. I mocked up one of the bars with the brackets for the rear end, put my angle finder on it and set it level, and then measured the eyelet to the frame. I knew that I wanted my bracket welded to the top and side of the frame, so I added 2.5 inches to that measurement. I then welded the supplied bracket to the top of the tubing, measured from the eyelet on the bracket down the tubing to my specs, and cut.




You can run an extra bead inside the supplied bracket when attaching it to the tubing for added strength if you so desire.

I then took that tubing, attached it to the bar (still level and with the rear-end brackets attached), and placed it against the frame (if you’re looking down at the tubing from above, it’s in a diamond shape in relation to the frame). Note: In an ideal world, you would attach this so the angle on the tubing is 45 degrees in relation to the frame for a perfect triangle. In my case, this would have put the brackets on the housing (which is cast in this case), so that’s why I wasn’t able to do it this way. Other rears aren’t cast and can be welded to and there are options for making or buying a bracket that goes over the housing allowing for other angles. Even though the bracket was further toward the inside of the frame than I expected it to sit, I knew I’d be close and marked where the corner of the tubing met the frame. Since this bracket attaches to the frame where it kicks up, I took the angle of the frame and then recreated it on my workbench using an extra piece of square stock (the angle isn’t shown in this pic, but you get the idea).



This was a cool way to continue making my bracket without having to work in the limited space inside the car. I then used my square and by placing it on the mock-frame, I marked the bracket where it needed to be cut out. Note: I started off expecting half of the tubing to be on top of the frame and half to hang off.

 

This is where it gets a little hokey…I wasn’t 100% positive that everything would line up the way I wanted, so I cut a tad short and then mocked, ground, mocked, ground (for hours!) until the bracket sat on the frame where I wanted it and the bar hit the rear where I wanted it. Take you time here…you need to make sure the bracket on the frame is perpendicular (not absolute, but the way I wanted it) and level and that the overlap that sits on the side of the frame is flush.






If you’re happy with that, it’s time for a self-high five (unless you have someone around…people will look at you weird if they catch one of those). To me, this was the most arduous part.

Now for a trick to make the other side…since the bracket is a mirror of the one you just made, mark a piece of posterboard or whatever you prefer with the pieces you cut out of the tubing and number ‘em. Flip ‘em over and mark on an equal sized piece of tubing and you’re well on your way to your second bracket.









Go ahead and tack the first bracket to the frame and the ones that attach to the axle housing (after checking all of your angles….again).

When you’re setting up the second top bar and grinding the bracket, it’s important to take measurements to make sure the angles of the bars are the SAME in relation to the frame and to the ground. Otherwise you’ll have binding or unpredictable handling from your suspension. I did this with a carpenter’s square, protractor, and tape measure…a little paranoia is ok in this case

 

Tack everything up WELL…I was so worried my tacks might break under the weight of the rear that I even put some welds on my brackets and figured I’d cut ‘em out if I had to. Put a jack under the rear, cut it out of the notch, and remove those tie-downs…it’s time to see if it works. Check for binding, rubbing, etc. If all is good, weld up all those brackets and crack a beer!











I’m not going into detail about the bag brackets or shocks…they’re not tough compared to what you just did. Do make sure that everything clears your bars throughout the range of motion. I have pics on my website of my bag brackets (Gambino Kustoms, of course) as well as my air and gas tank mounts and my shock brackets.

Tons of work left to do, but here's a shot of the trunk,,,,



Here's a before and a couple of after pics,,,,








Hopefully that helps some of you out there that are looking into this type of build. A huge thanks to Alex Gambino for the parts and advice and to all the Villains, of course.

Bryan

 

Excellent work Rusk...you know how much I needed this tech....doesn't mean I'll stop asking you questions late at night, but it should help a little!!.....now all I need to do is re-create that in MY garage now....the stance is bitchin'..now youre even a bigger (lower) "rockstar"!!....

 

Excellent tech Bryan......thanks for taking the time to write and post it.

 

very nice

 

Looks real good the ass end down great job.

 

That is excellent, and will be very helpful in the future!!! thanks!

 

Nice Work I literally installed a Gambino Notch last nite, this will help out alot!

 

really nice work i gonna build me a 4link on my ford shoebox this winter so nice to see some inspirations pics

 

Would of been better with pics of you in short shorts and that half shirt all greasy.....

Shit wrong board...my bad

 

Easy to mix those up...they both have ass in the title...

That reminds me...Sinner and I were talking about the back seat...I expect to need to trim it to clear the upper bar brackets and driveline tunnel.

Bryan

 

...so how far off is the chop ???

-marty

 

Ruler!! Awesome Post Bryan,
Top notch work! or shall I say "Top gambino notch work"!

 

Looks like some high quality building right there. It looks really good all laid out too.

 

I'm not sure...how far off is that tech piece??

hahaha...thanks notch-o libre!

And thanks everyone for the good words.

Bryan

 

Nice work! Thanks for being thorough and clear.

 

I decided to attach some pics of the shock (in mock-up without the rubber bushings) and bag brackets.







The top shock brackets were an idea derived from the devious mind of my friend Brent...it cost me dearly....



hahaha...fucker!

And just a couple random shots...



Crazy Dave...this guy can weld anything, anywhere...



I was in the same spot under my car and I almost got stuck trying to roll out!

Bryan

 

Hey Bryan...how bout' some pics of the trans tunnel process also.....gotta keep this thread alive .....

 

just wondering how the 4 link kit is gonna fit if you put your rear seat back in...or isn't it hah?

 

It's going back in, it'll just be a little lighter this time around

I'm wrapping up the driveline tunnel right now...I'll add those pics and the back seat stuff soon.

Bryan

 

Proof this tech works!!!Send it to the archives!! Finished this morning ...everything moves freely..no binding...need a few support brackets then on to the shock and bag mounts........Rusk is the shiznit.......

 

rad, thanks

 

great job brian sorry ive had my head up my ASS with the shop lately
ive been so damb comsomed

 

nice work and looks clean!!!!!!!!!

 

yeah it does...Bryan show him some updates

 

Thanks for taking the time to post. All good info. What gas tank is that?